Reviews - Shadows So Cruel

2.06k reviews for:

Shadows So Cruel

Liv Zander

3.89 AVERAGE

wildling96's review

3.75

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

bailey_fucci's review

5.0

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Hands down one of the most heartbreaking, gut wrenching, and truly beautiful stories i’ve ever read.

freyawatson's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

kandice0121's review

5.0

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

goodlynne's review

1.25

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I have never disliked a book more. It was well written but the plot? The characters? The most unpleasant and unlikeable thing I have ever read.

The amount of SA in this book is mind boggling. Maylr rapes the fmc and then everyone tells her to not be mad about it because he’s sad that he was raped. No one, including a author, should be ok with that victim blaming bs.

At one point Sebian sates (after he knows about the SA) that he thinks Gala is better off with Maylr, her fated mated AND her ropiest. I don’t think Maylr ever apologizes to her, not that it would ever make it better.

Don’t even get me started on the

the death of Sebian!

I don’t like the message this plot portrays. Period. That rape is ok as so long as he has a good enough reason for it.

Author needs to self reflect on some internalized misogyny and patriarchy. Author also really needs to be clearer in her trigger warnings because this book will likely trigger some ptsd flashbacks in SA survivors. The scenes where quite graphic. I won’t be reading anything else by her.

This book just made me mad and in terrible need of a palate cleanser.

Content Warnings